The Sad Case of Toronto Mayor Rob F.O.R.D – Fix Or Repair Daily

It’s November 2013 and I must begin today by apologizing to all of you because I have not written anything new on this blog for several months. I’ll wager that some of you even thought I had stopped writing and had decided to shut it down. No, that’s not the case and I do intend to give you all new material over the coming weeks and months. Some of which has already been written in “draft” form and I will publish it soon. Let’s just say that life has been busy for me over the past while, especially when you factor in that my old laptop computer that I used to write many of my previous entries died on me this past summer. Which meant buying a new machine (what I am using to write this text today) and all the things that happen when you change from one computer to another, such as reinstalling your old programs, moving files from one to the other and so on. But now that things are under control, I want to revive my blog, and spend some time with all of you because of a sad story that seems to keep getting sadder all the time.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock or otherwise completely blind to the news out there, chances are that you have heard about the trials and tribulations of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. How after months of denial he finally admitted recently that he has indeed smoked crack cocaine. That has turned out to be only the beginning. But even before he made that admission earlier in November, Ford had a reputation for getting heavily drunk and going on rants that were absolutely disgusting to listen to and damaged both his political and personal reputations. It’s not only disgusting, but also pathetic and perhaps more than anything else, it’s sad. More about that in a moment.

Now before I go too far, although it is often said that one should not discuss controversial issues online such as sexuality or politics online (and especially in a blog such as this one), I want to make an exception this time because I feel it will help put this subject into context. That’s because I think what makes the Ford saga really sad is that I genuinely admire him as a political figure and believe in what he has trying to accomplish during the 3 years that he has been Mayor of Toronto. I really like his “agenda” of smaller government, lower taxes, less government intrusion into people’s lives and less “red tape” for business. In particular, I appreciate what one might call “fiscal conservatism”. Which I define as being more responsible to the taxpayers of the city. Running a government more like a business and looking for the most efficient ways to spend our money without sacrificing essential services. Drafting budgets and applying other financial practices to gain the best value for our money. If I were a resident of Toronto, I would definitely have voted for Mr. Ford in the 2010 municipal elections. I applaud Mr. Ford and his team for what they have done – it seems that they are well on the way to accomplishing many of the things they set out to do. City council is being run in a more responsible manner. Services such as garbage collection (especially in areas of Toronto where it was contracted out to the private sector in 2011) are saving taxpayers money and from what I understand are actually in better shape than under the previous administration. In short, I think Toronto is being much better run today than it was before Mr. Ford took office. Having said that, I fully respect that many of you will disagree. Especially if you hold more “liberal” or “left wing” political views than I do. That’s the beauty of living in a country like Canada. We can agree to disagree, and that’s great. I will only ask that you respect my right to express my political views, just as I do for you.

Sad to say, but the above paragraph is where my admiration of Mr. Ford stops. Yes, as someone who has “conservative” political tendencies, I may respect and applaud him for the changes he has accomplished at Toronto City Hall. I am sure there are many others out there who hold similar political views and who can appreciate this style of government – after all, that’s why he was elected Mayor in October 2010. Rob Ford the man, however, is an absolute train wreck and every day he says and does things that I and many others in Toronto and around the world find absolutely repulsive. His life is an absolute mess and I really think he needs professional help. And what is worse to me is that I don’t think Mr. Ford even recognizes that he has these problems. It seems that every day now, some new revelation comes to light about his past, whether it is smoking cocaine or drinking and driving – just to name a couple. Some are now even suggesting that he has been seen with prostitutes, drug dealers and other less desirable characters and that his presence with them has seriously impaired his ability to perform his duties as Mayor.

But like many people who need professional help, I strongly believe that Mr. Ford is in denial. To me, he lives in his own little world where everything is wonderful and rosy – and everyone else has problems. How many times in your life have you met someone where they have “issues” that need dealing with? I’ll bet we all have. Until that person knows inside themselves that they need help, and they need to admit their mistakes and take responsibility for their own actions, nothing will happen. This is exactly the case with Rob Ford. The media, citizens of Toronto, their city council and others in Toronto’s municipal government who have frequent dealings with Mr. Ford and even the late night comedy show hosts, along with countless others can continue covering this tragic situation and keep urging him to get professional counselling. The chorus can grow louder every day, and come from all corners of the world. Not only that, but people can also urge Mr. Ford to either resign as Mayor of Toronto or at the very least take a leave of absence to really work on his life and improve himself. But unless he knows that himself and believes in his heart that he must take action, nothing will come of it.

In the final analysis, as I noted earlier in this blog entry, while many people out there are angry and upset with Mr. Ford for his personal conduct and seem to pour gas on the fire with their own strident comments about all this, what I genuinely feel is sadness and concern for him. To me, that’s what all this is really all about. Don’t “trash” him folks. What he really needs is encouragement, support, compassion and most of all our love, concern and heartfelt prayers. Mr. Ford is a sad and tragic figure, whose downward spiral is only continuing day after day. What also saddens me is that all this has the potential to cause serious damage to Toronto’s reputation as a city which with all due respect to my hometown of Montreal (where Toronto-bashing is as much a part of the culture as the change of season every year), has been admired and respected around the world. But with Rob Ford as Mayor, I honestly don’t know what to think of Toronto these days. I can only hope and pray that people will overlook Mr. Ford and still think of Toronto as one of the world’s great cities. Which in fact it is, and no doubt will be for generations to come.

Another thing which saddens me is that this might also damage the “brand”. I noted back at the beginning of this blog entry that when it comes to politics I have conservative tendencies. That I strongly support those such as Mr. Ford and his allies (often referred to as “Ford Nation”) who feel that governments have become too big and that they over-regulate our lives, that they must live within their means and be accountable to taxpayers. That governments should spend money wisely and look for ways to run their operations more efficiently, but not cutting back on government services that people depend upon. Instead, we need smaller governments. Lower taxes. Less invasion of people’s privacy. More accountability and transparency not just in financial terms but in every aspect of how governments are run and how our elected officials conduct themselves. I called some elements of it “fiscal conservatism” earlier in this entry, but there are of course many other terms which are just as valid. Call it what you will, but this style of government is what I believe in.

But will people in Toronto and elsewhere back away from those values because these days they have their champion in Rob Ford, a man who is now clearly unfit to lead any group, let alone Canada’s largest city? I hope not. Yes, Mr. Ford must leave and give up his duties as Mayor. He should clean out his office at Toronto City Hall and as his final act, have someone call him a taxi and drive him back to his Etobicoke home. Or have his driver do it. Given his admissions of past episodes of drinking and driving, I don’t want that man out on our highways and byways. But the “agenda” that he and so many of us believe in must continue, just under the leadership and drive of other people. I have no doubt that there are many capable men and women of honesty and integrity who can pick up where Mr. Ford left off and implement the values and beliefs implied in fiscal conservatism and related styles of government as I have outlined here. Not just in Toronto, but everywhere. People and parties who believe in these values will always get my vote – I hope and pray that millions of others feel the same and will express that choice at every opportunity.

Let me wrap up with one final thing. I’ll bet you have now read this far and probably wondered where I got the title from. Or at least the part of turning Rob Ford’s last name into the acronymn “Fix Or Repair Daily”. When I was growing up back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, my father and his brothers (my uncles) often got into friendly arguments about cars. My father was always a “GM” guy. He loved to drive Pontiacs, Chevrolets, the now-defunct Oldsmobile and other General Motors products. But my uncles liked to drive Fords, which of course is where the arguments came from. In fact, I remember in particular how almost every September when the new car models came out, one of my uncles who lived near our home in St. Lambert would drop by with his brand new Ford car, loaded with all the latest and greatest features. Dad would scoff at the whole thing and dismissed all Ford cars – saying that Ford actually stood for “Fix Or Repair Daily”. While some of that came from typical sibling rivalry, in those days there was some truth to the acronymn because during much of that era the Ford Motor Company had some quality issues with their vehicles and it was widely acknowledged by both auto industry people and the general public that Ford cars were not as well built as their General Motors or Chrysler counterparts. For their part, the Ford Motor Company knew about these issues – and when things began to improve in the 1970’s (coincidentally around the time that my father died from Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS), Ford’s advertising slogan was “Quality is Job One”. Today, Ford cars have an excellent reputation – hmm, I wonder what my father would think if he knew that my brother and I at one time or another have driven Ford cars and have been very pleased with their performance.

But as I close this look at the sad state of affairs in Toronto that is Mayor Rob Ford, my mind goes back to those childhood days. I can’t help but wonder if Mr. Ford’s last name really should be an acronymn: Fix Or Repair Daily. Let me briefly explain why I think this applies to him. There is no doubt in my mind (and I suspect in the minds of many) that Mr. Ford’s life is in serious need of Fixing or Repairing. And as anyone who has ever gone for counselling, therapy, rehab or other forms of professional help knows (such as my treatments for conditions like social anxiety that I have discussed elsewhere in this blog), things don’t change right away. You need to work on improving yourself regularly and take steps to ensure that every day is a little better than the one before it. Which makes it a Daily process. In order for professional counselling and other forms of self help to succeed and for someone to really improve your life, this acronymn really works. The process really can be called: F.O.R.D. – Fix Or Repair Daily. So is it any coincidence that as 2013 draws to a close, we have a politician in Toronto whose life is spiralling rapidly out of control and who seriously needs to get help. And that his last name actually provides the answer to solving the problems. But will Rob F.O.R.D. really do that? Will he really see that he does need help and go for it? Only time will tell. I pray every day for him, and I hope all of you reading this will too. He needs lot of love, compassion and support. If we really care about him as a person, and about the City of Toronto, that’s the least we can all do for him.

As always, thanks for reading this blog entry and feel free to share this with anyone you wish. Until next time!